love talking about you. thank you for being here. see you next sunday when "the next revolution" will be televised. brian: i'm brian kilmeade. america's fight for freedom against british rule was not the only revolution we engaged in. 60 years we had another in the state of texas. the odds of success just as long. the spectacular victory just as impressive but to this point not as wide lid known. that's about to change as we bring you "sam houston & the texas fight for freedom." the alamo is not just a model. it's a good myth about brave people making a sacrifice for something they thought was important. it was a rallying cry for the rest of the war. >> houston is the kind of guy look for a second chance in

texas. he had a colorful past and had a cherokee wife. he has it in experience with the u.s. army. he was a u.s. officer. >> after the losses at the alamo, houston wanted to preserve himself in texas for a better day. it culminated in the battle of san jacinto. [♪] brian: welcome to and antonio,

texas. that is the church inside the alamo. i want to flash back to what texas was like in 1820 when moses austin started bringing americans right here. what brought americans to texas in 1820? what was the attraction? it was a time when people were on the move was there is opportunity and also hardships to escape. what texas offers is both of those. you come to texas because the opportunity is there. at that time land is livelihood. if you don't have land, you can't make a living. >> many people think of texas as being west texas around fort david. but there were hardwood forests and easy plowing.

brian were moses austin had an idea to bring americans this way and deal with the spanish. >> what he's offering the spanish the opportunity is we can bring you the people that will turn this from the wilderness into a productive area no longer a frontier. there is not a lot here. the spanish had been trying for years to establish community. they said look we have to have somebody in mexico live there to bring in the americans to move in. come down to texas, we'll give you free land, no taxes for three years but you have to turn catholic. people started migrating into texas. you may be coming to the united states, but you are going to become spanish. when the transition comes to

mexico, you will be good mexicans. you are going to obey the law and not cause trouble. brian: many people drifted in from tennessee. it seemed like a thoroughfare. many never made it. there her hurns and thousands of settlers into texas. >> the first 300,000 settlers were given property. >> it changes texas because you have crops being grown where they weren't grown before. >> you are dealing with the first generation texans of the steven austin group. they had to be worried about

comanche attacked and they formed a community that started growing. >> culturally it began to change, especially in east texas. there hadn't been have many spaniard or mexicans there. >> by 83 some, it was becoming less and less an american stronghold. >> they were happy because they were on their own. brian: mexico gained its independence from spain led by general santa ana. these guys were on their own and ready to fight. >> the idea of liberty is very important. and what they mean by liberty what came out of the american

revolution. liberty to have input into our government, consent of the governed. what they are saying is we are no longer giving our consent for the changes happening. santa ana and his supporters get rid of the constitution, they are abolishing statehood. so texas which wanted to be a state, there are no states anymore. and your officials will be appointed from mexico city. that's happening to all mexicans. steven austin went to mexico city and pleaded for independence short of war and they put him in jail. he wrote a letter talking about independence. he became one of a number of texas patriots demanding independence. brian: there are a series of revolts and the ruthless santa ana suppressed them brutally. his goal, destroy the uprising. to get to texas he build his

army using state troops. >> santa ana was working in the west. he couraged troops often to commit rape. he didn't have a good code of honor about him. he was a ruthless dictatorial leader. he decided, i'm not going to be known for giving away territory. i would rather defeat ther texas and have a modern-day texas and negotiate a settlement. brian: when we come back, why this group of texans including davy crockett felt they had no choice but to fight to the death for their understand even and how the mexican army responded. okay, paint a picture for me.

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[♪] brian: the fight begins. in the early 1830s, texas was happy to be an independent state of mexico. but that changed when general santa ana took power. he shelved liberty.

annexation to the up s. not in the cards even though president jackson and former president jefferson thought texas came along with the louisiana purchase. early on they had nothing but success. what do you think the truth is. was texas in the louisiana purchase? >> it's a great yes question. when jackson made that it could have been part of the louisiana purchase. it became debate. but anybody who served under andrew jackson and anyone who challenged him like davy crockett. they all melt texas would eventually belong to the united states and many of them felt it should be part of the u.s. because of the purchase. brian: why didn't america just take it. america didn't want to fight another war. >> america was trying not to fight a war. >> in 1812, jackson was the hero

of the battle of new orleans. there was a picture of america, we were looking to go westward. but by the 1830s, that western movement was starting to kick in. this was before the cold rush in california in 1849. so in the 1830s, getting to texas and getting a spread of land and having cattle and a farm was considered a good move to make. along the border of texas were some of the good timberlands. so you could make a fortune on raw natural resources. so it became attractive. brian: when stephen austin gets out of prison he realizes the best thing he dock is fight and

put down santa ana. >> santa ana brutally suppressed this rebellion. yucatan, and san leone, they were in rebellion. >> i think the big moment was in and antonio with the texans taking over the mission of the alamo, that they fortifying it. surrounding san antonio are a lot of water systems. it's not bad living around the area. so whoever controls and antonio controls that part of texas. santa ana thought they could control galveston, but they had to make an inroad into san antonio.

colonel travis, the regulars, santa ana thought this was a fight for who owns texas and he was it was easy. he was focused on san antonio, his brother-in-law was the commander when the texans captured the fort in 1965. it shows him coming this way. instead of the other route along the coast where he could by pass the alamo and arrive and resupply at san jacinto. brian: santa ana moves north. take his 2,000 troops and crush the rebellion. but the texas rebellion had a lot of previous success. >> sometimes success is your undoing. because we won. but they hadn't. plus you have different people

of -- sam houston is one of them. this ways we should do. we should take our troops and this is my plan. there is so much infighting that nothing is getting done. brian: after the alamo is take and the general is ousted he was released with a promise not to fight again. sam houston gives orders to no longer hold the alamo, recognizing it wouldn't be wise. but travis, bowie and crockett think otherwise. >> they are holding it because of the town. the alamo is important because of where it is. the town of bejar has two spatle spots where the texans capture it and it sets up a logic if rebels are captured, the government thoos recapture it. brian: james bowie went in and

said tell these guys to move out. but when he gets there and says yes, this place is pretty secure, i think i will stay. i'll fight with you guys. >> what he says colonel leo and i decide we would rather die in these ditches than give them you have to the enemy. >> they were fighting a tyrant who wasn't representative of the mexican people. he was a tyrant. >> santa ana thought he would make a big example out of the alamo. if you want to rise up against mexico, this ways will happen. brian: the texas army would take over the alamo mission. unbelievable, right? but bad news was coming. up north. general santa ana and 2,000 troops wanted to stomp out this

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aishah: a suspect came into the backyard of the home and four people were shot fatally. at polytechnic university in hong kong, stockpiling weapons. police made attempts to enter the university but the students have so far resisted. right now the protesters and police remain locked in a standoff at the hong kong polytechnic university. now back to "sam houston & the texas fight for freedom." brian: i'm brian kilmeade.

welcome back to "sam houston & the texas fight for freedom." i'm inside the long barracks inside the alamo where so much fighting took place. general houston picked the right guy in james bowie, telling the men to leave the bar racks, that they couldn't protect it. but he changed his mind. and this is one of the first times his instincts abandoned him. general mcchrystal joins us. what about your connections to the alamo? >> when i was a kid, the davy crockett walt disney show came out, but beyond that, the alamo isn't just a battle, it's a myth. it's about brave people making a sacrifice for something they felt was important.

brian: you have two brave commanders, jim bowie and allen travis. >> travis was courageous. and bowie was famous in his hone right for create can the bowie knights in louisiana. he was known as a crocodile alligator character out of the bayous. bowie and correct and travis and others decided, we are going to dig in our heels and it's freedom or death that we are going to make our stand here. it was like a second american revolution in their mind. brian: show us what they were up against. you brought an overhead shot of the what it looks like today. >> we see the chapel and we think that's the alamo. actually the alamo was a pretty big place.

if you start with where the chapel is here, the actual alamo went much further. all the way out and down and then up like this. actually this is even further out. this would have been the north wall. so when we think about working or standing in the middle of the compound, it would be up here a little bit. 50 feet here would be the geographic center. it was a big fortification and they only had 180 people to defend it. brian: how much people would you need? >> i would think 500 or 600. most of the defenders were using rifles which are slower to load. you shoot your round and then there is a period of nothing happening. you need more people on the wall to keep up the fire. brian: as the mexican troops

rolled up in uniform. the texans haven't been trained. what do they have? >> they have this commitment. for the most part you put a bunch of eachs together taken in ad hoc defense. brian: they felt good early on. when the flag went up how did travis answer. >> with a cannon shot. it was an active bravado and something that said we are not going to back off. but they thought they were going to be reinforced. the idea if they could be strong enough and keep the mexicans from bringing up their full force they would get reinforced and the problem would not be fatal. brian: how far away were the

mexican troops? >> gunshot range and close their can noons even closer. brian: travis writes these wonderful letters that live on forever. he end it with what? >> victory or death. he knows he's not going to be reinforced and he decided not to leave. he decided to make the stand. you talk about time. the texans are here. as the mexicans arrive you have 13 days of a standoff, not a daily fight. but a standoff. during those 13 days the mexicans are getting stronger. they are moving ca canons close. courage is different in every person. but most people are not courageous alone. you get courage from the people around you. if the people around you show

steadfastness it's contagious. >> bowie had pneumonia. he was in bad shape. he knew he had to show courage for the volunteers to stay. even though he has to be in bed a lot. he can't walk. his fortitude of fight never left him. >> this is 180-plus people who weren't professional soldiers. probably a handful had been in any kind of fight before. they are about to face the unknown, they are led to believe they will probably be killed, and they make this extraordinary decision, commitment to each other to stand and be courageous. brian: on the 3th day of the siege the full force of the mexican army attacked the alamo in the early hours of march 6. they came at it in full force and it's believed that's where

the first breach was. brian: lieutenant colonel william travis shot in the head and dies. >> travis is down, so command is down. bowie is not able to give orders. there were 187 separate battles fought. most of these people could probably only see or hear the people close to them. they have no idea what's happening along the south wall. each person is finding courage in small groups making their own stand. finally in the chapel a series of small engagements add up to the battle of the alamo. brian: the mexican army takes the alamo execute the captured soldiers, including davy crockett. >> davy crockett was a serious

person for santa ana to kill. he had become a folk legend. santa ana was full of puffery after the alamo. he felt like a peacock who put another feather in his hat. brian: the slain bodies of the texas army are piled up and burned. it was supposed to intimidate houston's forces, it didn't. >> he scored a quick victory. but the story that trickled out of the alamo is daunting. so the word that spread out of the alamo wasn't retreat, it was we all have to buckle down and do what we can to fight for texas independence. brian: by showing a bloodthirsty

brutality, santa ana was hoping to convince the texans to give up the fight. but they fought hear d fought h. (danny) let me get this straight.

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just for ulcerative colitis and crohn's. entyvio. relief and remission within reach. [♪] brian: welcome back to "sam houston & the texas fight for freedom." 1836. weeks after the alamo massacre the battle flashes here to goliad, to this fort where 400 men knew they were about to be engaged it's an engagement sam houston never wanted to see happen. but his orders were not heeded. >> we are standing in the northwest past bastion. brian: goliad was a fort, it was built to be a fort. i feel like i'm in a fort. >> it was the only solid fort that existed in texas and the

only one used during the revolution. brian: when the am moist under siege, why didn't they reach to goliad for help. >> this was the only garrison. we are only 90 miles away, you can make it that distance in a couple days. brian: they had 200 troops, there are 400 here. in charge general james fannin. >> he had experience at west point. his real experience was in the georgia militia. brian: when travis said i need some help, he wants to go. what happens? >> they start here at crossing on the river. they have issues with wagons breaking down. and they decide it's not going to work. they won't be able to make it up there in time to help.

brian: the whole time travis thinks they are coming. what does sam houston tell jim fannin and company to do. >> gather up your forces and surprise and head east and join up with me. by that points the garrison knows the alamo has fallen. the texans realize it's time to gather up the forces they have and consolidate. brian: fannin receives word that a company of his men with pinned down. >> part of the men that were there were killed. on the the other part of the men head back towards victoria. and what slows down fannin is he doesn't know what's going on. brian: he sends two contingents down and he don't know what's happening, then he decides, i'm

going to leave. i look around. this is a fortress. it still stands hundreds of years later. would he have been better with staying? so once you dig in in one spot you can be surrounded fairly easily. brian: he goes to the santee river. he's told by the general that he can return to goliad where his men would be safe, prisoners of war. but this turned out to be a lie. >> they don't just kill the men. they don't let them on to their fate. they are holed up in the ask church'. one of the groups was told they were going to the coast. ought others were told they would be collect food and water. they are marched about a mile outside the walls of the fort. they are halted. the mexican forces turn on and

level their muskets. brian: shoot them at point blank range in cold flood. >> that's right. brian: and at this fort there there is a memorial. >> they were burned after they were massacred. but the alamo had dry wood for the funeral pyres and they had greenwood. their remains has been dug up by the coyotes and dogs. so they collected them in one spots where there is a memorial. brian: they date back to the battle. >> they were dug up in the 30s. that's the burial site. brian: it's hard to think that the remains of 400 men are buried under there. brian: the state of the texas

revolution was dire. 400 lost at goliad. 200 here. when we come back and "sam houston & the texas fight for freedom," that decision and more. i'm your 70lb st. bernard puppy,

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[♪] brian: april 16, 1836, sam houston and his texas army was just about here before that tree. he looked at the limbs and he said i can go to the american border where i can get more troops and maybe rest my guys. or follow that limb and go to san jacinto where he knew santa ana and his mexican army would be waiting. sam houston decided to finally fight. san jacinto, the place of the first and only time santa ana and sam houston will square off. this is a battlefield. who better to take me through the battle than steve be moore, one of the nation's foremost experts on this texas independence battle as well as this battle.

18 minutes is the name of your book. >> that's the amount of time it took for the texans to completely overwhelm and surprise the mexican army. brian: the group that got annihilated at the alamo, massacred at goliad, it takes 18 minutes to defeat santa ana here? >> it's probably the most lopsided victory in american history. brian: the mexicans are over there, they ride first. they are sitting there and they are undercover, right? >> there is a lot of big oaks, a lot of moss hanging from the trees. 1,500 guys, plus. brian: then sam houston's guys are that way. how many did they have? >> 937 by my best count. this slight rise in the hill helped disguise the texans as they were coming towards the

mexican camp. and you have that wood line there. brian: how shocked they as they are getting closer and closer. they assume they are just waiting to start firing and it never happens. >> sam houston this the midst of it in the center of the field on horseback. brian: is that unusual for the commander to be in the front like that? >> he's a tried and true leader. he's not afraid of battle. brian: when he was bliently showing courage he was getting arrows in the leg and musket balls in the arm. he gets a horse shot out from under him. >> two of them. and he gets back up on the third one. he doesn't quit until the battle has been decided to allow medical treatment to happen. brian: where do the mexican

troops go when they are running for their lives. >> peggy's lake. they are trying to go across the lake and swim for their lives. and the horses are drowning. the men are being clubbed to death with muskets. brian: out numbered, just a few weeks of training together. they go for complete victory and get the ultimate prize the next day, they capture santa ana, but instead of killing him, they do what? >> they keep him alive only because of houston. most wanted to shoot him on the spot and treat him like he treated their brothers. houston knows this is his key to securing ultimate freedom for texas. brian: he knows there are reinforcements but he wants it to end now. what does he get general ma --

general santa ana to sign? >> he gets a treaty signed and he writes to his commanding generals in texas saying we have surrendered the war is over, coming from the commander-in-chief. brian: about 1,000 mexican soldiers turned around and left texas as an independent country for 10 years. >> absolutely. brian: when we come back we'll remember the men who fought so hard for chevy silverado hd. it offers head-up display. wow, that's dialed in. i can still keep my eyes on the road. my truck doesn't have that. it offers an optional technology package with up to 15 different camera views. that's quality picture. it even offers one enhanced view that makes your trailer appear invisible - to help you see what's behind you. oh, wow! which in this case happens to be the competition - since they don't offer the same amount of cameras as the silverado. literally in the rear-view.

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in connemara. right! connemara it is! there's one gift the whole family can share this holiday season, their story. give the gift of discovery, with an ancestrydna kit. brian: the state of texas had a thirst to rebuild the alamo for decades but while many people cannot agree on how exactly to reclaim the footprint. that issue has fallen rights on the desk of land commissioner, george p bush.

right here in austin, texas. he has embraced the challenge. when you became lane commissioner did you have any idea the passion for the alamo for the people of texas and the need to restore it? >> i did. the reason is it that the centerpiece of what being a texan is all about. this is a bloodied battle within a blood war fought for the simple idea of freedom, liberty against h radical government. when i need to constituents who been here for many generations including six generations they tell me the same thing that we've got to do a better job to restore and preserve it and make sure it's around for another 300 years. brian: in a time where we seem to run from her history the people of texas are save our history. >> the alamo was falling apart when i showed up for office in 2015 an archaeological study basically stated at the state did not intervene it would fall apart. i asked for immediate appropriation from a state legislator to get that done. we were successful in doing that. we have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of maintaining the

original church which you will see on the grounds to this day but also restoring deference and reverence to the original revolutionaries, not to mention building a museum for the visitors that come every year. brian: how do you show the battle while being culturally sensitive? some of the groups that have come out to tell me about those. >> we have told them they have a seat at the table and they can can indicate their concerns but the reason why millions of people, every year to the alamo is for battle of 1836. brian: describe it as you know it. what does it mean to you to restore the alamo? >> to me as a military veteran it shows determined his pride. these were defenders that knew the consequences of not receiving support from other parts, despite the messages conveyed to ask for convoys and support, they knew overtime they would not get a break there were multiple opportunities for them

to retreat or surrender to general santa ana but they would not. it was the rallying cry for the rest of the war of independence which culminated in the ballot battle which sam houston honorably lead and began the process of the texas republic. brian: is this an american story or is this just - >> i think this is a global story. this shaped not only our state but our country in terms of the lines that are drawn but how politics play out and hold you politics play out around the world. brian: we started the story in san antonio. we continued it here in san jacinto outside houston in the battle continues in austin, texas, the capital of the states on how to best or member the men who fought here, regardless of how that turned out for one thing is clear, without sam houston's leadership in the battle of the men who fought under him texas does not get its independence annexed to america years later in america march west does not take root like a

dead which leads me to why i titled sam houston and alamo adventures the texas victory the changed american history. thank you for watching. us, "fox news sunday" with chris wallace is up next. chris: i'm chris wallace. key witnesses in the impeachment inquiry tell their stories to the nation with more to come. ♪ ♪ >> in mid august it became clear to me that giuliani's effort to gin up politically-motivated investigations were now affecting u.s. engagement with ukraine. >> a member of my taffe could hear ambassador sondland about the investigations. >> as we sit here testifying, the president attacking you on twitter. what effect do you think that has on other witnesses' willingness to come forward in. >>st it's very intimidating. chris: hours of testimony as democrats ask their first three witnesses whether the president abused his office to get oppo research from ukraine.